The Udta Teer movie opened in Indian theatres on October 23, 2026, with a premise that turns an espionage thriller upside down: a Pakistani undercover agent loses his memory and believes he is an Indian counter-terrorism officer. Ayushmann Khurrana stars opposite Sara Ali Khan in director Aakash A. Kaushik's 137-minute comedy, which has received sharply different reactions from critics.

For viewers deciding whether to buy a ticket, the early reviews do not offer a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Critics find humour in the identity crisis but disagree on whether the screenplay successfully balances satire, patriotism and suspense.

A Spy Who Forgets Which Country He Serves

The story centres on Bilal, a Pakistani operative living under the Indian identity Vikrant. After an accident causes amnesia, he accepts his cover story as the truth and begins defending the country he originally came to infiltrate.

The Hollywood Reporter India praised the simplicity of the central idea but argued that the film loses some of its comic confidence as the story becomes more serious.

Sara Ali Khan plays Yamini, Vikrant's wife, whose strained marriage becomes entangled in his changed identity. The setup gives the film room for mistaken identities, bewildered colleagues and jokes about familiar spy-movie conventions without requiring viewers to follow an overly complicated premise.

Udta Teer: How Ayushmann Khurrana Handles Two Identities

The lead actor plays one man with two identities, not two unrelated characters. His task is to make Bilal's confusion believable while keeping the exaggerated situations entertaining.

In its Udta Teer movie review, India Today awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars and praised Ayushmann Khurrana for moving between the character's conflicting loyalties without overplaying the joke.

The review also highlighted the humour involving Rahul Bose and Suhail Nayyar, whose characters add to the confusion surrounding the spy's sudden transformation.

However, Variety India felt that the performance does not always evolve alongside the character's predicament. That difference captures the wider critical split: the acting and premise appeal to some reviewers, while others want sharper character development.

Why Critics Disagree About the Humour

Not every reviewer was convinced by the film's attempt to mix comedy and patriotism. The Indian Express gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, arguing that its combination of parody and patriotic sentiment works only occasionally. Variety India similarly criticised the screenplay for rushing between jokes, action sequences and plot twists without giving its characters enough room to develop.

More favourable reviews focus on the situational comedy and supporting performances. With Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and Suhail Nayyar in the cast, the film has plenty of opportunities for comic exchanges, even when its narrative moves unevenly. The 137-minute runtime is another point worth considering. The central premise is straightforward, but critics disagree on whether the additional twists make the story more entertaining or weaken its impact.

Is It Worth Watching in Theatres?

Udta Teer offers a lighter alternative for audiences who enjoy comedy built around mistaken identities, undercover agents and familiar Hindi-film references.

Viewers expecting a tightly plotted spy thriller may be less satisfied with its shifts between jokes, action and patriotic drama. For fans of Ayushmann Khurrana, the lead performance and unusual premise remain the principal attractions. For everyone else, the mixed ratings provide a useful guide to expectations rather than a definitive verdict on audience response.

The film opened on October 23, and its opening-week box-office performance is not yet established.

For now, the reviews suggest a film with a promising comic idea, several entertaining moments and a screenplay that divides critics. Whether those strengths are enough to attract audiences beyond the opening weekend will become clearer in the coming days.